Emerald Management Review:
It's more than enough to make you sick (ethics of marketing)

Abstract:

Purpose - To ask whether ethical marketing is possible.

Design/methodology/approach - Contends that there is a 'sickness' caused by materialism - the 'Affluenza' virus - leading to too high a value being placed on money, possessions, appearances (physical and social) and fame and presents the industry response.

Findings - English-speaking nations are more Affluenza-striken and have rates of mental illness twice as high as nations in mainland Western Europe and the underlying cause of these differences is political economy. Asserts that needs were replaced by confected wants that people did not know they had and that advertising unashamedly fosters unhappiness with oneself and one's possessions but few are aware of the harm it does to our mental state or, by extension, to our environment. States that a tendency towards upward social comparison is a defining feature of Affluenza psychology whereas those who make horizontal comparisons with people like themselves tend to be community-minded and Affluenza virus-free. Adds that almost everything on television contributes to mental illness, confecting wants rather than encouraging us to meet real fundamental needs: emotional and material security; community; a sense of effectiveness; and autonomy and authenticity.

Originality/value - Contends that until leading politicians in the English-speaking world explicitly reject selfish capitalism and implement the appropriate policies for at least a generation, it will be quite impossible to market ethically as the commercial and cultural environment simply will not stand for it.

Keywords:

Article Type:

General review

Reference:

Top